Alice’s Journey

She couldn’t feel the cool air on her face anymore. She couldn’t taste the sweet smell of fresh peas from her grandfather’s garden. Alice Montgomery was kept away from the world. She had been since she was five. After ten years of doing nothing but watching over the house, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of Jason, her baby brother who had just turned eight months, Alice had just about enough of seeing the same thing over, and over again.

Her mother, Lesley Montgomery, was a single mother working at a bar. She made good money, but it was all in tips. She was the best bartender there. She knew by concentrating on peoples expressions what they wanted. No need to ask. Lesley had been married six times. Her first husband was killed by a jealous friend. After his friend got out of prison ten years later, Lesley married him. Her third husband, Jeremy Tardif, was Alice’s father. He was a successful business man working as the co-owner of “Buckingham Houses”. He divorced Lesley when he found her cheating on him with two other men. Lesley ended up marrying both of those men too. She divorced both of them after they found out about each other. They were only married for six months. Lesley’s last husband was forty and dying of cancer. When he died five months ago, Lesley got all his money, his house, his cars, and his dignity.

Alice couldn’t bare the thought of her mother marrying again. If she did, Alice would take Jason and find her father. Alice saw her father every month, but he had to come to the house. Alice wanted to meet her dad at a restaurant or a game shop, or something. She wanted to smell the wild flowers again. Touch the rose petals in the windows. Alice forgot what freedom was. She didn’t know what school was really all about. She didn’t know what swimming in a lake felt like. She only knew bleach, diapers, vacuums, brooms, mops, and soap. Alice didn’t want to be secluded in the cleanest house you could ever imagine. Just one more time, feel what she had never felt before.

Alice was in her room getting jason ready for bed when she heard the loud knock on the front door. The summers wind was humid and a bit chilly as she swung the door open. It was her mom standing in the door way drunk out of her mind.

“H...hel...hello” Lesley said as she opened the door She stumbled with every word, and Alice could smell a strong oder of alcohol on her breath. “Where have you been” Alice said “ You didn’t have work today and Shannon said that she only saw you this morning” Lesley didn’t answer as she stumbled onto the couch. She just looked at her with a blank expression. “Mom I can’t take this anymore being in this house all the time cooking and cleaning taking care of jason” Her mom got off the couch and started on her rampage scream and breaking things like a wild horse being tamed “What?” “What do you want form me?” “ What do you want me to do?” “Nothing mom am done, am done living hear and am done with you” Alice yelled back as she ran up the steps to her room.

Alice started to pack her clothes and some of jason’s . She wasn’t just going to leave him without her she loved him more than any. She went down stairs to she if her mom was sleeping, She wasn’t she was drinking her life away. Alice quietly went back to her room hoping she wouldn’t get caught. She went back to her room, focused like a lioness hunting down her prey. She sat on the bed waiting for her mom to go to sleep so she could leave. An hour later you peeked out of her room. No one was in the dark hallway. She picked up Jason as he slept and dashed out the door. Alice didn’t know where she was going but she knew some how she was going to her dad’s house. The early morning summer’s breeze felt cool on her face. It was her time to go out and experience the world the way she never got to when she was younger, she wanted to go to school, and have friends. she wanted to live with her dad and be a kid and not a maid.

Alice walked and pushed jason in the baby carriage. The street lights flickered and danced, She came to a pay phone and called her dad the metal number pad felt cold to the touch as she dialed 973-778-7375 it started to ring. The person on the other line answered you could hear the tiredness in there voice. “Hello” Jeremy said as he wiped the sleep from his eyes “Dad” she said with relief “Alice is that you, where are you your not calling form your moms house?” he said franticly “I left, dad I couldn’t take it anymore I never get to go outside or have fun I was always cleaning something I took jason and I left her a note” Not knowing what to say he asked her where she was and to wait there for him no matter what not to move. She sat on the cold ground waiting hoping that her mom wouldn’t come looking for her. After about a half an hour a black SUV pulled up it was her dad. He got them into the car and drove off. Nothing was said she sat in the back seat watching the street lights flash by until she drifted off into a deep sleep.

She was awoken by children laughing and playing,something that was unfamiliar to her. Jeremy was sitting on the couch beside her. She got up and wiped the sleep from her eyes.The sun was shining through the glass window which made everything look better while her mom’s house was dark and filled with beer bottles and a crying baby.It was fun living their for a while living with her farther but things started to change. First she was washing dish,then they started making her make all the beds, after that she was living the same way she was with her mom cleaning everything. Not being able to see the outside world it was fun but now she had enough. Alice had enough of lies enough of working for people. Once again she was on her own but this time she left jason he was being taken good care of she wanted him to have a good life. So once more though the flicking streets she went to find her way to becoming someone to make a name for her self Alice Montgomery.

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